Winter's End
by CelestialTomatoMonkey
Summary: The first story of the Perfection of Cold and Dark trilogy. Two years have passed since Pitch's defeat and he's left weak and alone. He'll get some help from the most unlikely of children and learn about how to be more useful and reasonable. Through this child, He'll find his purpose. But will the Guardians see him differently or will they still see him as evil? BlackIce
1. Chapter 1

_Alright, I know I haven't been keeping up with my other stories at all, but it's summer time now and I've made a pledge to myself. I'm going to write at least 1,000 words a day if not more. I really do want to get this story down, and I plan to make it a trilogy. There will hopefully be two sequels to this story. Also, one of my friends is not a BlackIce fan. She knows who she is, and she can just deal with it. Another thing, this is my first RotG fanfic and I've wanted to write one for a while now, so please take that into consideration. _

_I don't own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood books. I wish I did, though… Anyway, I shall now give you the story. If you actually read this far, then wow…_

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**The Perfection of Cold and Dark: Winter's End**

Two years was nothing to an immortal spirit. Two years flew by in the blink of an eye to them. But to Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, every second of those two years was an agonizing eternity. Two long years had gone by since his humiliating defeat, two years spent being tortured by what were once his soldiers, his minions, and furthermore, his only companions. But after a time, a break in the pain came, much to Pitch's surprise. When he cautiously crawled out of the little crevice he had been hiding in, he found that there was nothing in the great cavern but himself. He had no family or believers, and now even his Nightmares and Fearlings had left him. Pitch Black was completely and utterly alone.

With no small amount of hesitation, Pitch found a way out of what he once considered his stronghold, sending a weak glare at the globe as he passed. There were too many lights… Pitch looked this way and that as he crept out into the forest. When the Nightmares left, they had left a yawning hole where the old bedframe used to be. It was easy enough for him to see in the dark, but his sight wasn't the reason he stumbled so often. He was so weak, he would have laughed at himself had he the strength; but that simply wasn't the case. Pitch was battered; covered in scrapes and bruises and a few deeper cuts, maybe a broken ankle by now. His clothes were threadbare and tattered at best, and his eyes were dull and listless. He wasn't even sure why he bothered to come outside. There was no reason for it when there was even more danger out here, and it wasn't like he would scare anyone in this state. After all, there was no such thing as the Boogeyman.

Pitch must have been wandering for days through the forest before he finally came to its edge. It was the beginning of summer, so Jack Frost wouldn't be around. Jack Frost; the memory of the winter sprite was still very fresh and very bitter in his mind. Before he could get too deep into his brooding, a prick of fear caught his attention. It was coming from within the small, silent town of Burgess. How curious. He made slow progress into the town, keeping an eye out for anything that could pose a potential threat to him. It was nearly dawn by the time he got to the little house that was emitting the fear. It wasn't just fear, though. It was nervousness and anxiety and unease. Although it wasn't very strong, Pitch could afford to be choosey. Fear was fear and it would offer him some strength. As he crept into the room that held the direct source of the fear, he found the owner. Little Sophie Bennett, Jamie Bennett's younger sister. What on earth did the little girl have to be afraid of?

Pitch decided to simply stay and see what was bothering the little girl. However, staying to find out why she was afraid didn't mean he couldn't feed off of it. Through this, he was able to better understand part of what was wrong. Sophie was afraid of going to school at the end of the summer. The little six year old would be going into the first grade and Pitch guessed that she had never been in an actual school before. Even though it seemed rather petty, it would add up if he stuck around. Besides, it seemed to be the only fear in this little town amongst all the hope. To speak reasonably, there really was a terrible lack of fear, and there would be a price to pay because of it. He sighed and slipped under the obnoxiously pink bed to make himself comfortable. It looked as though he would be here for quite a while.

Pitch followed her around for a few days, watching as she went about her days as he fed from her and lounged under her bed during the night. He was healing very slowly, but healing all the same. She was a very interesting little girl, indeed, and he found himself becoming very interested in her. Though he thought he would never say anything about it, he stayed more now out of curiosity rather than hunger for fear. It also seemed to him as though she knew he was there. At times, he thought she was looking right at him, or at least somehow knew he was there.

About three weeks into summer, Sophie-for whatever reason-decided to climb the highest tree in the neighborhood. It was later discovered that Jamie's friends had coerced her to climb it through a dare. Most of them were watching her through their front windows. But at that moment, all Pitch knew was that the girl was now climbing up the tree and obviously had no idea of the danger she was putting herself in. He watched with growing… _concern_ as she moved higher and higher through the branches. For some reason, this stirred an instinct in him that he wasn't sure he wanted. He was getting soft.

"Get down from there! You'll break your neck!" He knew she couldn't hear him. How could she when she didn't believe in him? But he still felt like he needed to say something. As expected, the little girl hadn't heard him and continued to climb. Pitch sighed and limped forward so he was standing under the tree. The only thing that hadn't healed yet was his ankle, and it was quite bothersome. He kept mumbling to himself about Sophie, lips pursed in a thin line as he watched her.

The sudden flair of fear was the only warning he got before he heard an ear splitting scream. He looked up just in time to see Sophie Bennett lose her hold on the branch she had been holding. It was almost as if she was falling in slow motion. Pitch shifted this way and that with his arms outstretched to try to catch the falling child. It should have occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to catch her. She most likely didn't believe in him and would end up going right through him. But for some reason, she didn't go through him and she didn't hit the ground and instead fell right into his waiting arms with an "Oomph!"

"What…?" Pitch could hardly believe what was happening. Sophie hadn't gone through him, and even more unbelievable was the fact that she was safe and sound because of him. This brought them to a very new situation as the fear and adrenaline faded away. Sophie stared up at Pitch with wide green eyes and a slack jaw as if she found the current situation just as crazy as he did. She blinked once, and then spoke up in a shaking, squeaky voice. "You're that weird man who started following me. But now you're all the way here and not see through." Pitch frowned. Wait… This little girl had been able to see him this entire time? He carefully set Sophie down on the ground, kneeling in front of her. His ankle had been healed by her fear of falling; he realized when the action didn't cause him any trouble.

"Can you really _see me_?" Pitch asked, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, looking her dead straight in the eyes as a crease formed in his forehead. If he'd had eyebrows, they would have been furrowed with confusion. Sophie nodded to answer, and then blurted out a question of her own with an almost accusing tone.

"You're the Boogeyman, aren't you?"

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_First off, I really would like some reviews. I don't have a lot of reviews on my other stories and it kind of discourages me. Second, I would appreciate some constructive criticism for this story. Also, no flames, please and thank you._

_So, I plan on focusing on Pitch and Sophie's relationship in the next chapter. Just to clear up that meaning, it will not be a romantic relationship. Jack will most likely appear at the end of the next chapter and it will focus more on them after that. I would also be happy if you guys would send me some ideas for my story, since I don't have this one planned out as much as its sequel._

_Thank You for reading! Please Review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey you guys, I'm sorry about what happened to my first chapter. Just some technical difficulties, but it's all good! I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping to my 1000 word a day pledge, but I just started training for my first job. I get to work with little five year olds, you guys! I feel sort of like a Guardian, myself! And thanks so much for the reviews, they made me feel appreciated~_

"_You're the Boogeyman, aren't you?"_

Pitch just stared blankly at her for a moment, his mind racing to process the question. "W-well of course I am. Who else would I be?" From among all the children who had written him off, this one blessed child believed, knew who he was. Sophie seemed to consider this, looking him up and down with a very thoughtful expression. With a little thought, she seemed to accept the information she had been given. "My big brother says you're a bad guy." The comment made him flinch ever so slightly. He had always been thought of like that, hadn't he? Of course, he had done countless unspeakable things over the thousands of years that he had lived, but he wasn't so set on revenge and destruction, now that he had no means to ever achieve it.

He would gain power again, but it was in his best interest to keep to himself for now. "But," Sophie's little voice drew him out of his thoughts. "If you're a bad guy, then you wouldn't have saved me." Oh, the little girl's logic was so innocent and so very black and white. Pitch chuckled softly to himself as he stood. He was far from being a good man. As he began to walk away, he felt a light tugging at the hem of his tattered robe. Looking down, he found that it was Sophie, looking up at him with wide eyes and pouting lips. "Don't go away, okay. Jamie won't play with me anymore and mommy's really busy now." Pitch, for the briefest moment, saw a great loneliness in this child, a loneliness that he was all too familiar with.

"What about your father?" The second the words left his mouth, he could tell it was a mistake to say them. "I don't know. Daddy hasn't come home for a while, and mommy says he won't come back." She looked down at her feet and Pitch stopped. Again, he turned and knelt in front of her and cleared his face of most emotions. For some reason, he felt like he had to watch over her and keep her safe. The feeling that came over him was familiar, but he couldn't remember how or why, and it was distant in the back of his mind.

He made her look up at him, his gold-silver eyes boring into her green ones. "I will not go away." For now, he was still telling himself it was because she was his only source of strength, but the odd feeling in his chest told a different story. Sophie began to smile again, then held up a hand, pinkie sticking out. "Pinkie promise?" Pitch's serious expression morphed into an annoyed one, making her giggle. "Must I?" "Yes." He sighed heavily, slowly putting out a hand with his pinkie out, mumbling under his breath. "… I pinkie promise…" She curled her chubby little finger around his much longer, thinner pinkie finger and he did the same.

Sophie squealed happily, making Pitch cringe at how high her voice went. She let go of his finger and skipped ahead a little ways ahead of him down the path, giggling and laughing all the while. What had he just gotten himself into? At the very least, this summer would prove to be an interesting one…

The night after he had promised to stay with Sophie, he was disturbed from his rest under her bed by the sounds of a slight scuffle going on. When he peaked out, he saw that she was dragging a small plastic table and a few small chairs around it-also plastic-into the middle of the room. She was also pushing heaps of toys to one wall along with a jacket and some shoes. In three of the five chairs, she propped up a pink unicorn, a blue pegasus, and a small white horse sitting between the legs of a larger black horse. There were two empty chairs waiting. Sophie was now setting out some brightly colored plastic plates and cups, then a tray piled high with a wide assortment of cookies. There was a teapot by the tray that was filled with either milk or water. She smiled, proud of her work as she brushed some of her unruly hair out of her face.

Confused, Pitch crept out from under her bed. "Sophie, what are you doing?" the little blonde jerked her head up, grinning when she saw him. "It's a tea party!" she said quietly, so as not to draw the attention of her mother and brother. She giggled and ran up to him, taking on of his spindly hands into both of hers. "Come on, come on!" the little girl bounced up and down and began trying to drag him over to the little play table. Once Sophie had gotten him to stand by the table, she bounced over to one of the remaining chairs, plopping down before looking up at him expectantly while pointing to the last chair.

At first, Pitch protested rather vehemently about participating in something as childish and feminine, but then Sophie pulled the puppy eyes. Her eyes went wide and began to shine with fat, unshed tears and her lower lip stuck out and trembled ever so slightly. "Wh-oh fine. Just don't cry." He huffed, holding up his hands as he moved to the tiny plastic chair. It took him a moment to try to get comfortable in it. Pitch's long legs nearly came up to his chest and he had to hunch down a little with his hands resting on his knees. He looked like a giant compared to everything else. This seemed to placate the little girl when he sat down, so it looked like he would be sitting there for some time. .

"Would you like another cookie, Mr. Boogeyman?" Sophie asked, holding out the tray to him. This must have been the sixth or seventh time she had offered him cookies, and she had expected him to take more than one sometimes. He had declined once, and she had pulled another teary face. So, Pitch was practically force fed cookies and milk. He sighed, nodding slowly. "Yes, please." He reached for yet another cookie, watching as Sophie tried to pour him more milk.

Needless to say, Pitch never wanted to even see another cookie by the time Sophie put away her tea set and stuffed animals. His embarrassment wasn't over yet, though, as he soon found out when Sophie brought out a bottle of sparkling pink nail polish. Just as before, when he refused to go along with what the blonde girl wanted, she threatened to cry. So he was roped into getting his nails painted, too. Well, at least no one would be able to see him like this, though it still dealt a blow to his pride.

By the time Sophie was done, he had sparkling pink nail polish painted sloppily over his nails and parts of his fingers. "There. Now you're all…" here sentence was broken off by a large yawn. "… All pretty…" Well, it was no wonder the child was tired; she had stayed up until midnight to play with him. Pitch knelt down and scooped her up in his arms, gently cradling her in his arms and against his chest. "Alright, it's time for good little girls to get into bed and go to sleep." He murmured, more to himself than to Sophie. The Nightmare King walked to the bed, carefully setting Sophie in it. He pulled the covers over her little body and up to her chin, a smile fighting to flicker over his face. By the time he straightened up and stepped back, Sophie was out like a light, Sandy's golden dream sand snaking into her room and over her head.

The image of that played over her head was of her and Pitch, walking hand in hand. He had no desire to taint this dream…

Pitch took another step back, tensing when he felt his foot hit something on the ground. He turned and looked down to see what he had accidentally kicked, and sighed when he saw what it was. There, a few inches from where it had previously been, was a pink plastic tea cup that had been forgotten when Sophie was cleaning up from the tea party. "Silly girl…" He sighed and bent to pick it up off the ground, looking it over once he stood. There was really nothing special about it physically; it was just a cup, but it held a pleasant memory from tonight. Pitch decided to keep it.

This was far from the last time that Sophie would want to play with him. Almost every single day, Sophie dragged him outside to play little games. One day it would be dolls, another it would be hide-and-seek, and sometimes they would go out to dance. The more they went out to dance, the more Sophie wanted to watch, often commenting on how 'pretty' his dancing was. Today was another dancing day, though Pitch had an idea that might appeal to the child. "Sophie, would you like to learn how to dance?" He held out a hand to her, showing off a small smile-but it was partly a smirk. She looked up at him from where she had been jumping around on the roots of a large tree. "Learn dancing?" Slowly, the girl hopped over to Pitch, looking up at him with a questioning expression. Then a bright smile spread over her face. "Ask me again, with fancy talk!"

After a moment of puzzling over the request, he chuckled and knelt down in front of her gracefully, holding out his hand to her again. "Lady Bennett, would you care to dance?" Sophie squealed and put her hand in his. When he stood, he had to hunch over to keep their hands joined. He took her other hand as well, then instructed her to stand on his feet so he could dance for her but making it so that it would feel as though she were doing it on her own. Once Sophie was balanced on his feet and her hands were locked securely in his, he began to step around, murmuring 'one, two, three' quietly. His back would probably ache later from staying bent over like this, but for some reason, Sophie's giggles and bubbly laughter would make it worth the trouble later.

Even though there was no music playing that they could dance to, they both managed to dance just fine. He felt almost like a father, and that same familiar but distant feeling washed over him again. The shadows had loosened their hold over him significantly if he could enjoy this. For a brief moment, a thought crossed his mind, one that hadn't come up for a very long time. Who had he been before he became the Boogeyman, if he had even been anyone at all?

After that day, Pitch and Sophie spent much more of the summer afternoons out under the huge old tree. They danced for hours, and sometimes Sophie would bring out little picnic baskets for them to share once they were too tired to dance anymore. When they didn't want to dance, they would go for walks around the neighborhood and by the forest. She never seemed to stop laughing. For the first time in his existence, Pitch felt like he truly belonged. He was… Happy here with Sophie, and he didn't think something like this would have been possible. And it was all because of one little girl.

But all too soon, the hot days of summer began to recede and grow shorter, cooler. Summer was gradually giving way to Fall, and with Fall came the looming idea of school. Of course, this brought back Sophie's fear thrice over, and there was only so much that Pitch could do about it now. Sophie would have to go to school in a few weeks. Pitch tried to get her ready for it, so maybe she wouldn't be quite so upset. The closer the first day of school came, the more deep set and sickening the fear became.

"Here now, it won't be so bad. If you'd like, I can walk with you there and wait for you at the end of the day." Pitch knelt down in front of Sophie, straightening out her jacket and the straps of her backpack. "And should you ever need me, you need only call for me, and I'll be there." He stood again, taking one of Sophie's hands in his. He just wanted to be able to assure one child this one time. On the way to school, Pitch walked on one side of the girl while Jamie walked on her other side. Even with Pitch's reassurance, she was still quite obviously scared. She dragged her feet the entire time.

Once they got to the school, Pitch stopped at the door. He couldn't go inside that school when there were so many children who didn't believe. As she walked up the steps, Sophie glanced back, smiling nervously before running through the double doors.

For the entire day, Pitch waited and waited for Sophie, taking out the little pink cup to hold it and remember. When Sophie's school finally let out, she bounded up to him. "Guess what, Mr. Boogeyman?" She smiled up at him, and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face in response. "What?" "School here isn't so scary. It was fun." For once, he had never been so relieved that a child wasn't afraid. But this wasn't just any child. No, this was Sophie Bennett, the little girl who believed in him.

That was how the days went by after that. Pitch would walk Sophie to school, wait for her to come back, and then listen when she told him all about her day. Afterwards, he would help her with the worksheets she brought home, then play with her after her dinner. They played all day on the weekends. This new peace with the school year lasted the duration of the Fall season, though Pitch became increasingly wary as winter drew near. Jack Frost would be coming around soon, and he knew all too well that Jack had strong ties to Jamie Bennett, Sophie Bennett's older brother.

Then came the day that he had been worried about, the day of the first snowfall of the year. Pitch had simply been wandering about when Jack Frost attacked him out of nowhere. He barely managed to dodge a blast of ice, and when he looked up, there was Jack, staff aimed at him and eyes narrowed. Pitch simply stared at him for a few seconds before he bolted. Though he had long legs and he was running at top speed, Jack could still fly faster than he could run. Without realizing it, Pitch ran toward the school. "Oh no you don't!" he could hear Jack yell from behind him before another shot of ice hit him, sending him to the ground.

Pitch tried to scramble away, but it was no use. He looked up to see Jack Frost standing over him, the crook of his staff pointed down at him and only a few feet away. The boy looked like he had the intent to kill, if his current behavior and the murder in his eyes was anything to go by. Could he even be killed? Either way, Jack's next attack would undoubtedly be painful. How ironic that as soon as he had something he wanted to hold onto, it was ripped away. "You can't kill me, Jack. Fear can be weakened, but it can't be killed. Besides, without me, the balance of the world would be tipped too far in your favor. It's already happening, and I've only been subdued." He paused when Jack lowered his staff slightly. "If you kill me, what will happen to the children? Without fear, they won't think twice about crossing a busy street, approaching a wild animal, or going too close to deep, fast flowing water or other dangerous places. I am necessary." At that, Jack just laughed, but there was no mirth in his voice. "Yeah right. You're no more necessary that my snow is in the summer." "Oh, but I am, Jack. Without learning from fear, children will start getting hurt, start getting killed, even, because they'll believe that the Guardians will save them every time something bad happens. And guess what will happen when you can't come and save that one child out of the billions that will call out for help? They'll stop believing. They'll give up on you when they think you've given up on them, and it will all be your own doing, not mine. So go ahead and take your best shot. I dare you."

He could almost see the cogs turning in Jack's head as he thought over what Pitch had just said. It wasn't enough, it seemed, because Jack just took his aim at Pitch again. "You're lying. You always lie. Even if what you said is true about the kids, at least it would be a world without you in it. You aren't needed and you're wanted even less." Pitch knew those would be the last words he ever heard. He could feel the shadows writhing under his skin; hear their screaming inside his head. Pitch stared evenly up at Jack with doleful golden-silver eyes as the power crackled through the staff. This was going to be it, then. Jack was going to try to kill him, and he had no choice now but to let it happen.

The last thing Pitch saw was a flash of blue. The last thing he felt was cold, but then a strange warmth pulling at his arm. The last thing he heard was the desperate screams of a little girl, her sobs as she called for someone. He could just barely make out what she was saying between her slurred cries and the fuzziness of his own mind. "Daddy! Daddy! …addy! …y! ..."

_Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, and the support and understanding for the accident of the last chapter. It makes me so happy to know that people like the story. I tried to make it a little longer, but I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. I tried to draw out the summer in the whole chapter with a little chunk of Fall, but I ran out of things for them to do. Please give me some suggestions if you have any, and thanks again. As always, please R&R~_


	3. Chapter 3

_Wow, you guys. I feel so loved. Thank you for the support that you've given so far. I give chapters in exchange for reviews~ If you have any ideas, please feel free to send them in. As I said before, the sequel was planned out a lot better… Which is kind of stupid on my part. Oh well. Please enjoy this next chapter!_

"_Daddy! Daddy! ...addy! …y! …"_

_Darkness was the first thing he knew. Then things gradually came to be, but it was all blurry. It was as if he was seeing it through a haze or a frosted window. Then the sound came. It was an awful whispering, though slightly muffled or distant. Amidst the blurry looking cages were glowing _things_. Where they embers? No, these… these looked almost like the eyes of Nightmares and Fearlings. But what were they doing in cages? Then he heard another noise. It was soft at first, and he didn't think anything of it. But it just grew louder, and louder, and louder. "Daddy! Daddy, save me! Please, Daddy, help me! Daddy! Daddy!" He knew that voice… Where was it coming from? Who did it belong to? If only he could find them._

_He could feel himself moving down what must have been a hallway, past cages of snickering shadows. At last he came to the cage where the desperate cries were coming from. He yelled something, but all he heard was a garbled mess of sound. One of the hands-it must have belonged to him, he realized-grabbed the locked door and worked at it for a moment, then flung it open, yelling again. For a moment, everything was still. Every glowing pair of eyes stared at him. With a cry that sounded sickeningly like glee, the Fearlings in the cage leapt out and surrounded him. He vaguely felt pain, somewhat remembered reaching for a sky that held no friendly moon, and then he blinked._

Pitch shot up in bed, gold-silver eyes wide and panicked. He was breathing hard and already tossing the sheets away from him. Wait… The last thing he remembered was being out by the school in Burgess, not in an overly plush bed. Pitch forced himself to calm down and take in his surroundings. The walls were a rather non-descript red and white, as were the bed covers and curtains. There was no other furniture in the room, and the window was rather small. When he spotted the plain wooden door on the opposite wall, Pitch slowly got up and went to check the door knob. Locked. The Boogeyman pressed his ear to the door to try to get some sense of what was going on outside of this little room.

The sound of machinery and toys could be heard. Dammit, he was at the North Pole. To add to his frustration, he found that he was too weak to travel through the shadows. It was perfectly dark, yet he couldn't do anything with it. Pitch was stuck here until he was dragged away to someplace else, most likely where the _Guardians_ could keep an eye on him. Knowing them, they would keep him in a lighted cage, and he would never be able to see Sophie again. Pitch was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of glass shattering and sand sliding over the floor. He whipped around and pressed himself against the door, memories of the past two years flashing through his mind. The sound of sand was never a good one anymore.

The Boogeyman looked up just in time to see the sand form into a Nightmare. Not just any Nightmare, but Onyx, Pitch's most trusted adviser and partner. Or, she used to be, anyway. Pitch swallowed hard when she took a step toward him, only to blink in surprise when she pressed her boney head against his chest in a show of affection. "Onyx, what are you doing here?" Pitch murmured softly in a mix of awe and wary disbelief, reaching up cautiously to place a hand on her muzzle. She whickered, nudging his hand. It was as if Pitch had never been turned on by his Nightmares, and she was simply reporting back to him or asking for his affection. Onyx seemed to be the only one with a personality and separate mind, while the rest were of a hive mind. "There's a good girl…" Pitch said, a weak smile making the corners of him mouth turn up. At least one of them was still loyal. He froze and Onyx raised her head, ears perked toward the door when the sound of footsteps and voices could be heard. Pitch could just barely make out what was being said.

"I'm telling you, North, I caught him walking around town. He ran right for the school when I went after him." That was Jack's voice, which had no small amount of exasperation in it. It sounded like he was trying to convince his companion-North, in this case-of his actions. "But he did not attack at all?" Now North was talking, sounding like he was somewhere between confused and suspicious. "No, but after I hit him, Sophie came up and started crying over him. I think he might have done something to her, like brainwashing."

Pitch snorted at that, but when the footsteps stopped at his door, he quickly swung himself up onto Onyx's back. With a shrill whinny, the Nightmare spun around and leapt for the open window, and Pitch was free once again. He looked back over his shoulder and smirked, seeing Jack and North bust into the room only to find him gone. The only thing Jack saw was a flash of black sand, and then it was back to being a still, quiet night. Pitch thought he heard Jack yell something, but he didn't really care, and nor did he want to stay anywhere close to the North Pole. Onyx carried him swiftly through the shadows and through to the town of Burgess, a place he now considered to be home. Now all he had to do was get back to the small house and into the pink bedroom that belonged to Sophie Bennett.

He crept silently inside, making sure Onyx stayed outside and away from the little girl. The Boogeyman didn't want any harm to come to her. With a soft sigh, he loomed over her bed, casting a long shadow over her sleeping form. Pitch noticed that her sleep was troubled, but not to the point of bad dreams, and he could easily guess what was making little Sophie so unsettled. Very slowly and with no small amount of hesitation, the Boogeyman brushed the unruly blonde hair from the child's face. He wouldn't wake her, but he wasn't sure if he could stay until morning to talk to her. There were plenty of places to hide and he had multiple escape routes if the Guardians caught up to him. So after a little while longer of watching Sophie, Pitch crept under her bed and closed his eyes to rest. "Until morning, then…"

_I'm so sorry you guys. My computer has been such a jerk to me. It won't save, and it keeps freezing up if I type for too long. I've been having a few problems trying to upload stuff, too. It might be a while before I can update anymore to find out what's wrong. It could be a virus… Anyway, I love reviews and I hope to get a few critiques if there are any. Thank you~_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys. I am so sorry! My computer contracted the Trojan Horse virus and I could only use the home computer, which means I couldn't update. Please forgive me! I know this chapter is also kinda short, but my brain went a little blank over the months of being unable to write. I ended up writing stuff in my religion journal to vent. Then I had to tear that paper out later because we have to hand our journals in. I would rather my religion teacher not see the things I write… Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Enjoy your chapter while I cry in a corner and start on the next one._

"_Until morning, then…"_

Pitch didn't know when he had fallen asleep, or when Sophie had found him under the bed, but when he woke up, he was on his side and curled around the little girl. She was sound asleep still, her face pressed into his chest and the rest of her huddled as close to him as possible. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or not at the sight of her wrapped up in the folds of his cloak. Sophie must not have had school that day, because from what Pitch could see, it was getting on toward late morning or early noon. Well, the Guardians weren't storming through the house for him yet, so he figured he could stay like this for a little bit more. After so many years alone, it felt nice to be loved and missed. Pitch pulled Sophie's little body closer to his own and closed his eyes again.

Meanwhile back at the North Pole, the Guardians were holding council. Jack was recounting the events leading up to Pitch's late night escape the night before. They were all gathered in one of North's sitting rooms, mugs of coco

However, even as he told his story, he couldn't help but think about what Pitch has said. The Boogeyman seemed so weak and resigned when he had been cornered. It was like he was a completely different being when Jack had come across him, like Pitch hadn't been in his right mind when he had fought the Guardians. He had to wonder about this. "So, what do you think we should do about this?" He finally asked the others. "From what you've described, Jack, it sounds like Pitch is still weak and will be for a while yet." Tooth said, flitting about. Her feathers twitched, and Jack could tell there was a trace of nervousness there. Even if Pitch was weak, he was still up and about faster than anyone expected.

"Just because he's weak doesn't mean he won't get stronger. He's like a weed." Bunny growled and waved a paintbrush around; always painting, that one. "We must keep an eye out from now on," agreed North with a firm nod. He then then turned to the frost spirit, his gaze serious, which was most unbefitting of the fat man in Jack's opinion. "Jack, you must be wary. You live very close to Pitch, and he could stage attack if you are not careful."

Of course, Jack would take this in stride. Pitch could still easily be considered dangerous. "We'll all keep an eye out." Tooth said, finally settling next to Bunny, though her wings and feathers continued to flare. "That's right. If need be, we can set up some watches around Pitch's lair." The Easter Bunny glanced around, getting nods and murmurs of agreement from the others. "Well, I'll just keep an eye out. See you guys later!" Before anyone else could say another word, Jack drifted up and shot out one of the windows. He wasn't for sure, but he thought he heard North call after him. "Be careful, Jack!"

He made sure to frost a few places over on the way home. By now, it should have been morning in Burges, so Jack decided to drop by Jamie's house for a little while.

When he touched down, he could tell that there was something wrong. Jamie was outside, calling desperately for his little sister. "Jamie! Jamie, what's wrong!?" Jamie looked up, a partially relieved expression making its way onto the boy's face. "Jack! Thank God you're here. It's Sophie." At the mention of the little girl, Jack frowned. "What happened to her?" "That's the problem; I can't find her. She wasn't in her bed this morning, and she's not anywhere in the house; not even in her hiding places. I really hope she didn't wander off. What if someone kidnapped her, Jack!? You've gotta help me look for her!" Jamie looked close to tears. He was so worried about his baby sister. "Don't worry kiddo. We're going to find her and get her back."

Jamie thanked Jack, giving him a long hug. "I just started looking outside. So she might be out in the neighborhood somewhere, I hope…" The boy blinked a few times and clenched his jaw. With some gentle urging, Jack got him to get his friends together to help.

Jack could feel something was different when he set off. The house seemed a little darker, even in the light. Jack had to get to the bottom of this. He wouldn't let Jamie down. The first place he checked, naturally, was the forest; the place he knew best. It was unusually quiet when he got there, muted by snow and shadows. The silence made Jack uncomfortable when he was so used to hearing the creatures sing and chatter to each other with the rustling of the wind in the leaves in the background. "Sophie…! Are you out here!?" Too loud. His voice sounded too loud to him, and at the same time, not loud enough. "Sophie!"

Where on earth could the little girl be? Jack was sure he checked everywhere. There were no signs of the child around his lake, and thankfully no movement around Pitch's lair. This troubled Jack, though. Sophie had gotten so upset when he had attacked Pitch, even going so far as to call the Boogeyman 'Daddy'. What was with that, anyway? It couldn't have been normal. However, as confused as he was about that, Jack had actually left that part out of his report to the Guardians. Now Jack was starting to have second thoughts about that decision.

After maybe two hours of drifting around the forest and calling out for Sophie, Jack headed back to Jamie. Jamie frowned when he caught sight of the winter spirit. "You didn't find her either, did you?" He asked sullenly. The boy sighed when Jack shook his head. "We'll find her, Jamie. We will." It was scary, he knew, when a sibling was in danger. He knew Jamie would do just about anything to find Sophie safe and sound.

"Find who?" came a little voice from the front doorway of the Bennett household. There, still in her pajamas, was little Sophie Bennett, one hand held up like she was holding the hand of someone much taller than herself. It was someone Jamie couldn't see, but Jack could, clear as day. Jamie ran to his sister and pulled her into a tight hug. "Sophie, where have you been!? Mom and I were so worried about you!" The older Bennett sounded on the verge of tears as Sophie gave him a one armed hug in return. She still clutched at the hand that Jamie couldn't see. "Don't be scared, Jamie; I was with daddy." The little girl said it again, called him daddy again. Jamie pulled back with a frown. "Sophie, dad… Dad is gone. He left, remember?"

Sophie shook her head, holding her little hand tighter around her 'daddy's' hand. Jack frowned and looked over the pair. Pitch Black, the Boogeyman, had his hand clasped with Sophie's, seemingly ignoring both Jack and Jamie in favor keeping an almost fond gaze on the girl. This was the man that had fought viciously for belief, had used methods as low as murder and bribery to get what he wanted, who was now acting the part of a father for this one child. When Jack finally caught Pitch's gaze, he was shocked by what he saw. Yes, Pitch's face looked relaxed and even a little younger, yes, he seemed more at ease, but that wasn't what got Jack's attention. What got his attention were the Nightmare King's eyes. They were a bright, luminous gold, almost completely unbidden by silver. There were only a few small flecks of the sharp color around the other spirit's pupils, which Jack was sure there had been more of before. If he remembered correctly, Pitch's eyes had silver eclipses, a ring of gold toward the outside of his irises.

"Hello, Jack Frost." The Boogeyman's voice was just as smooth as he remembered. The accent, the inflections, and just the low, deceptively soothing and pleasant baritone that was Pitch's voice. Pitch, Jack thought, was just like the shadows he wielded. The frost spirit shook his head and turned to Jamie. "Hey, your sister is alright. That's all that matters, isn't it?" Jack had to admit that he was relieved nothing bad had happened as well. "Yeah, I guess," Jamie said with a weak smile, "But I wish I knew why she was saying she was with dad." That was for another day, though. "As long as she's safe."

_Waaaaaaaaaah! I'm so sorry, you guys! I wish I could have gotten to you sooner, but my stupid computer got Trojan Horse. I felt like I was going to cry and scream at the same time. It was so frustrating and I got worried that you guys would be mad at me for not posting! *sob*_

_But I hope I can update more frequently now… Maybe the virus is gone. I hope. That would be the best thing ever. Please R&R~_


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